KPH Administrator Calls for Calm

Administrator at the Kingston Public Hospital, David Dobson is appealing for calm in the area, so that staff can get to work safely.
Speaking to JIS News, David Dobson said: “We are asking for all the understanding and all the assistance that can be given for staff to get here to provide care to people who need it.”
Describing the area surrounding the hospital as unstable during and after Hurricane Ivan, Mr. Dobson said that staff was understandably fearful of the situation. However, the hospital has been assisting staff to get to work and transport arrangements were made with their safety in mind.
“We have been advising the staff that we have established two areas that they can go for us to pick them up and shuttle them in,” he informed. The areas are the Central and Cross Roads Police Station. The staff, he added, was advised of the times that pick- ups would be made.
Mr. Dobson said that during the hurricane some of the staff remained at the hospital beyond 48 hours. “Our staff members were committed as they have always been,” he noted, adding that many went about their duties in water boots when some floors were flooded.As part of the disaster plan, the hospital planned to scale down activities and reduce the in-patient population by 50 per cent, thereby requiring fewer staff.
This, however, was not the case. According to Mr. Dobson, the hospital was only able to reduce the in-patient population from 450 to a “little less than 300”, because the patients were very ill and could not be cared for at home.
“We ended up with a large number of patients and not as many staff members to care for them. The staff did very well under the circumstances,” he explained.Mr. Dobson noted that the hospital did not receive a lot of the usual cases and cases relating to the hurricane itself. “We did get a number of persons with gunshot wounds,” he added.
Meanwhile, electricity and water have been restored at the 227 year-old health care institution.